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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

by Emily Rose Haga • Johnny's Plant BreederGreetings, growers! My name is Emily Rose Haga, and I manage the tomato and pepper breeding programs here at Johnny's, along with my breeding team.In both programs, we are focused on creating special, new varieties for market growers that combine heirloom flavor and quality with specific traits that improve adaptation to variable growing conditions.It can be challenging to grow these warm-season, heat-loving crops organically, and in short-season growing conditions like ours in Central Maine, but by breeding varieties directly under such conditions for traits like earliness and disease resistance, we can help direct evolution towards development of crop varieties that are more resilient under these conditions.This is the most exciting time of year for my team (and most of us on the research farm), because much of what we do the remainder of the year revolves around the crops and analysis that are now coming to fruition. The tomato and pepper programs really come to life after the plants are in the ground. Early in the growing season, we are in the field, placing pollination barriers over plants to prevent undesired cross-pollination; rogueing off-types from our seed-increases; and sampling leaf tissue to help us identify disease-resistant plants.Later in the season, once the crops mature (August–September), is prime time for evaluations. You will find us rating the crops and taking notes, harvesting fruit for yield, flavor or other sensory qualities, and flagging individual plants for possible seed harvesting.

In August we welcomed the Fifth Annual Student Organic Seed Symposium (SOSS) to Johnny's for a full-day tour. (That's me, crouched next to the pepper plants, intently discussing our trials!)

The plants in our breeding nurseries — where we make our selections — are doing generally well this year, but showing signs of water stress in this abnormally dry growing season. As a breeder, the silver lining for me is that I can select plants with better tolerance to stress and drought (to an extent). Ultimately, I may one day be able to help farmers better adjust to these extreme weather patterns.

Late summer is also when the trials we've placed with university and farmer-cooperators across the country begin to mature. These are on-farm trials of our new, experimental varieties, designed to determine how they perform in different regions and collect valuable, real-world feedback from growers to inform our breeding and commercialization decisions. This year I'm visiting some of our trials in Maine, Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin, Oregon, and California — and enjoy seeing how things look!

In the off-season, we stay busy analyzing information from prior seasons, coordinating the logistics of our new product introductions, and preparing for the next growing season. A significant part of what we do to prepare involves operating a year-round breeding greenhouse to create seed for testing. My team carries out thousands of hand pollinations in the spring and winter months to make new test crosses, develop breeding populations, and increase trial seed for the following season. Having the ability to do this counter-seasonally in Maine is a big asset for our program, because it affords us an extra crossing cycle per year and speeds up the breeding process, which on average takes 8 to 10 years from start to finish.

Breeding Technician Brett Johnson, busy in the greenhouse with one of many tasks required to bring our on- and off-site breeding nurseries to life during the growing season...

Bearing in mind that classical plant breeding is a slow-going, long-term process of directed evolution, Rob Johnston and Janika Eckert deserve continued our recognition for their mark on these programs, which will continue to show up for many years to come. It's an honor to have inherited their breeding programs, and I'm excited to continue their fine work, as well as embark on my own creative projects — which are now beginning to take root! I look forward to sharing our work with you as we continue to introduce outstanding varieties to our offerings.

Senator Scott Cyrway, representing Maine Senate District 16, recently visited and presented Johnny’s Selected Seeds with a certificate of congratulations from the people of Maine.

"Be it known to all we, the members of the Senate
and House of Representatives, join in recognizing Johnny’s Selected Seeds of
Winslow, whose 'Cornito Giallo' F1 and 'Escamillo' F1 peppers were selected as 2016
AAS Vegetable Award Winners by All-America Selections. All-America Selections
is an independent, nonprofit organization that tests new varieties of flowers
and vegetables and names only the best garden performers as AAS Winners. We
extend to everyone at Johnny’s Selected Seeds our congratulations and best
wishes. And be it ordered that this official expression of sentiment be sent
forthwith on behalf of the 127th Legislature and the people of the
State of Maine."

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

by Pete Zuck, R&D, Vegetable Product Manager

Just as we reach the last few weeks of another Maine winter,
our once seemingly boundless supplies of storage crops are dwindling. For those
of us whose storage conditions are less than ideal, some of the fussier items are in serious jeopardy by
now. The basement is a few degrees too warm? Perhaps your potatoes have begun
to sprout. The fridge’s “crisper” is a bit too dry? Maybe the carrots have lost
their crunch. As for those storage onions, you never know what you might find
when you slice them open.

One crop that is easy for almost anyone to store successfully,
however, is winter
squash. A good butternut or kabocha will stay delicious well into the
spring, stored at what most Mainers consider “room temperature” for this time
of year – about 60ºF/16ºC. In fact, some of the longer-storing varieties are
just beginning to reach peak flavor as the dark nadir of the winter solstice
sets in — refer to our Winter
Squash Curing & Storage Chart for specifics.

Because it’s so reliable, we Mainers tend to put up a lot of
squash each fall. While it’s great to have a dependable, highly nutritious food
source on hand, by March it gets to be a little redundant on the menu. Winter
staples like mashed butternut and squash soup use up a lot of material, but they
can get tiresome. With each passing potluck, our friends grow more indifferent
to our offerings.

Pete Zuck, Johnny's R&D Vegetable Product Manager

The key, I’ve found, is to break away from our traditional
vision of squash. Let’s face it; many Americans still equate squash with baby
food — maybe they’ve only ever had it one way — mashed. And even then, it is often not the most flavorful type or
variety, or given the simple enhancements it needs to really impress. We tend
to stick with butternut as our go-to storage squash. While there is nothing
wrong with this type (and a well-bred butternut can
be delightful on its own — our award-winning Butterscotch,
for instance), most butternuts are better suited as ingredients in a broader
recipe, whereas other types are actually much better as stand-alone dishes.

Glaze Ingredients

A couple of years ago, I really discovered kabocha squash.
It helped that I was working for a company known for producing some of the
best-eating varieties, with vast fields of them just a short walk from the
break room. I credit our company founder, Rob Johnston, with turning me on to
kabocha. When I started working here, Rob would often sit down to lunch with a
big wedge of Winter
Sweet or another of his elegant creations, adorned with nothing but salt,
pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. As I adopted this practice myself, I
quickly began to appreciate how different and wonderful kabocha squash is. The
dry texture ate more like a baked potato than like the mealy mush I was used
to. There were subtle flavors in the background that reminded me of maple syrup
and spiced rum. It was sweeter than butternut, and I didn’t even have to peel
the skin off!

This time of year, I cook a big kabocha most Sunday nights,
then pop it in the fridge and reheat it each morning for a simple
squash-and-eggs breakfast. I just follow Rob’s simple recipe (although I prefer
butter to olive oil), and I find it’s great fuel for the morning routine. It’s
a sort of sweet twist on hash browns, with perhaps a healthier starch profile,
too.

It is not surprising that kabocha is the squash-of-record in
Japan. The Japanese market is very
particular about eating quality in vegetables. The sweet corn must be tender
and highly sweet, with just a hint of a floral accent. The tomatoes, preferably
pink, must be low in acid and high in umami,
a flavor concept embodying “pleasant savoriness,” first defined in Japan over a
century ago. It is a gourmand culture, and their chosen winter squash is
kabocha. (To learn why some winter squash and edible pumpkins taste so much better
than others, read Eating
Quality in Winter Squashes, with an explanation by Dr. J. Brent Loy, a
classical plant breeder with whom Rob Johnston has collaborated for over three
decades.)

In searching for ways to experience squash the way they do
in Japan, I’ve been trying a few variations on miso-glazed kabocha. The concept
is simple and the recipe adjustable, and it highlights everything that’s so
great about this squash. It incorporates the core flavors of sweet, sour, salty
— and probably umami (but I’m not
qualified to say for sure). And, it’s the perfect way to share and celebrate the
last of last year’s winter squash, as we plan for the upcoming planting season.
I hope you enjoy it enough to try it six different ways.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

by Joy Longfellow

R&D
Breeding Team, Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Early February saw several members of Johnny’s Research, Breeding,
and Sales teams head west for the Organic Seed Alliance’s 8th Organic Seed
Growers Conference: Cultivating Seeds of Resilience.The Pacific Northwest is a
powerhouse for seed production in the US, and Johnny’s has many loyal customers
and seed producers there. The Organic
Seed Alliance (OSA) is a strong voice in the conversation around organic
seed production, and over 500 farmers, plant breeders, seed producers,
researchers, and others came together for the four-day event at the Oregon
State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon.

Five Highlights from the Johnny’s Crew

1.Finding Our Place in Resilient Seed Systems

Much of the conversation during the
conference revolved around building resilient seed systems at local and
national levels. As our food systems come under increasing pressure from
changing climate, changing politics, and changing regulations surrounding seeds,
the need grows for systems that can withstand future shocks and stresses.

One highlight was the keynote address by Cary
Fowler, author of Shattering: Food,
Politics and the Loss of Genetic Diversity. Cary Fowler is also the motivating
force behind the Svalbard Seed Vault, the world’s largest secure seed storage
facility, located north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. Fowler spoke about the
increasing need for preservation of genetic resources, reminding us that “We
protect what we love.”

Some of the many seeds available at the Seed Exchange,held the last night of the conference

Trialing our products with farmer–cooperators
connects us with a community of expert growers with whom we can evaluate
prospective new releases.

3.Sharing Our Knowledge

John Navazio, Lindsay Wyatt, Lainie
Kertesz, and Brenna Chase
combined forces to give a talk titled Perspectives
of a Successful, Independent Seed Company — discussing Johnny’s history as
a seed company and contributions to the field of plant breeding. It was a
fitting tribute to the work done by Rob
Johnston, Janika Eckert, and so
many others over Johnny’s long and successful history.

Lainie Kertesz discussing Johnny's contributionsto the field of plant breeding

Rob Johnston and John Navazio were both
invited to participate on a panel of Seed
Elders. Panel members included Carol Deppe and Frank Morton, among others
recognized for their valuable contributions to the fields of plant breeding and
sustainable seed systems. Rob Johnston, unable to attend due to personal
reasons, was notably missed.

4.Getting the Update on Organic Seed
Production & Plant Breeding

The
Organic Seed Alliance announced some results from their most recent assessment of
organic seed production in the United States. The State
of Organic Seed 2016 report showed an increase in growers using organic
seed on their farms, but also stressed the reality that many farmers still face difficulty in sourcing organic seed in large quantities or for specific varieties.

Some
interesting facts from the report:

Greatest barriers to farmers using organic seed

• Specific varieties unavailable as organic seed

• Organic seed not available in sufficient quantity

Top vegetables requested for breeding improvements

• Tomatoes

• Brassicas

• Squash

• Sweet corn

• Peppers

• Lettuce

Top traits farmers requested for breeding improvements in above crops

• Disease resistance

• Yield

• Flavor

• Quality

• Appearance

This
kind of feedback from growers is critical to making sure our efforts match what
our customers need. Events like the Organic Seed Alliance conference give us
the opportunity to get a sense of the market and calibrate our breeding and
research efforts accordingly.

5.Engaging & Eating!

Much
of the conversation during the week revolved around to how to involve people
from the whole food system — from breeding to eating.

The
OSA coordinated several “tastings” over the course of the event, giving
participants a chance to taste and evaluate several varieties of cabbage,
chicory, barley, and squash. A favorite was the raw Black Futsu Squash salad
with anchovies and chicory.

Tasting ... Black Futsu Squash Salad

Johnny’s
crew met with Lane Selman from Oregon State University to discuss the Culinary Breeding Network —
an exciting venture working to connect farmers, chefs, and plant breeders in
the efforts to breed and distribute flavorful vegetables. If you are a chef,
keep an eye out for new varieties from Johnny’s!

The
conference provided opportunities for Johnny’s crew to hear and participate in
some of these conversations. While yielding more information than can fit into
a short blog post, we came away with much to think about and some ideas for how
we at Johnny’s can contribute to building resilient seed systems.

What issues related to seed production and
seed systems are important to you?

Where do you see the need for more work in
seed research and plant breeding?

How are you “cultivating resilience”?

Thanks for reading — and best of luck to you, in
whatever ways you are cultivating resilience!

They all signed up for the drawing for the $100 gift certificate and were happy to have the free shipping coupon available. Many of the young growers are following in their parents' footsteps for farming as a lifestyle. They are incredibly aware of variety names and know what they can sell to the fresh market farm stands, as well as restaurants.

This young grower was very proud of his Great White tomato crop, which he sold to a local chef who made absolutely beautiful stuffed tomatoes.

Rod greeted all visitors by their first name and
with a handshake. Each greeting was genuine and I could tell that the growers really
value Rod’s knowledge and customer service level.

This was clearly the best dressed person at the show. A good friend of Rod’s and a good grower, he went over several pages of the catalog in detail with Rod.

Rod’s
wife Linda in the background, but believe me she is an integral part of the
booth! She is a great supporter of Rod, and Johnny’s.

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Growing Ideas with Johnny's Selected Seeds

About the blog: Here's what's growing on at Johnny's Selected Seeds! We'll answer your questions, let you know what's happening at the farm, and give you plenty of ideas for growing and gardening.Johnny's Mission: To help families, friends, and communities to feed one another by providing superior seeds, tools, information, and service.